Today's world of television ("TV") comprises "broadcast" TV and conventional "cable" TV. Broadcast TV is typically called "free" TV since it is broadcast through the air and any antenna may be able to pick up broadcast signals. Conventional cable TV is a service that uses a cable as the transmission medium for signals.
A common thread between broadcast TV and conventional cable TV is that signals travel in one direction. For example, in broadcast TV the viewer cannot send a signal through the air back to the transmitter. Also, in conventional cable TV, the viewer cannot send a signal through the cable wire back to the cable TV company.
In broadcast TV and conventional cable TV, most TV shows provide advertisements to the viewing audience. A few exceptions may be, for example, premium channels on a conventional cable TV system and public TV (e.g., channel 13). However, even these "exceptions" have "advertisements" in the sense that they promote other premium channels available through the conventional cable TV system and ask viewers to make a donation to "support" the station, respectively.
Some viewers are of the opinion that advertisements provide important information about products and services. These viewers typically want to see advertisements.
Some viewers are of the opinion that advertisements are a waste of time. These viewers typically do not want to see any advertisements. Many of these viewers will tape a show on their video cassette recorder (VCR) and watch it later in about two thirds the normal viewing time by simply "fast-forwarding" through all of the advertisement.
Some viewers are willing to tolerate a few advertisements. Typically, these viewers are more interested in advertisements than some but less interested in advertisements than others.